Official MLBlog of the Kansas City Royals front office.

Minor League Awards Announced

This entry is getting posted from the Royals Caravan bus, but isn’t about Royals Caravan…yet! The Kansas tour just wrapped up a visit to Greensburg, Kan., and we are now heading to Hutchinson before finishing Day Two in Wichita. We’ll have a full caravan report once we hit the hotel in Wichita. But, until then…

On Tuesday, Media Relations announced the overall minor league player and pitcher of the year. Here are the details from the release:

The Kansas City Royals have named infielder Mike Aviles and left-handed pitcher Rowdy Hardy the Alex George Royals Minor League Players of the Year for 2007.

Aviles, 26, had a tremendous season for Triple-A Omaha, hitting .296 (159-for-538) with 27 doubles, six triples, 17 home runs, 77 RBI and 78 runs scored. He led the O-Royals in hits, RBI, runs, at-bats and triples while playing games at second base, third base and shortstop. The resident of Middletown, N.Y., picks up his second Royals Minor League Player of the Year award after winning in 2003 while playing for the Surprise Royals. Aviles was the Royals seventh round pick in the 2003 Draft.

Hardy, 25, dominated in the Carolina League in 2007, compiling a 15-5 mark with a 2.48 ERA in 26 appearances, including 22 starts. The 6-foot-3, 170-pound lefty started the Class A All-Star Game and was also named the Carolina League Pitcher of the Year following the season in a vote of league managers. Hardy tossed three complete games and issued just 16 walks in 167 innings. A Tennessee resident, Hardy was signed by the Royals as a non-drafted free agent in 2006.

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